A Steph Curry third-quarter onslaught has fired Golden State to a series-levelling pummelling of Oklahoma City in game two of the NBA Western Conference finals.
The Warriors won 118-91 on Wednesday in Oakland to even the series a game apiece as the series now shifts to Oklahoma City, with game three on Sunday.
“Our ball movement was a lot better tonight,” Curry, who had 28 points including five of eight three-point attempts, said.
The Thunder, after upsetting the Warriors in game one, had an opening to do it again when they took the lead 47-46 late in the second quarter.
The defending NBA champion Warriors, however, went on an 8-0 run to end the half and moved up another gear in the third quarter, ending the period ahead 88-68.
Curry had 17 points in the decisive third quarter, despite injuring his elbow in the opening minutes of the game when he dived into the second row of spectators at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors’ Australian centre Andrew Bogut and the Thunder’s New Zealand big man Steven Adams had tough games.
Bogut, dealing with a groin injury, struggled in his 15 minutes on the court with four points, six rebounds and two turnovers.
Adams, a hero of the Thunder’s first-up victory, showed plenty of will to stay in the game and score nine points and pull down 10 rebounds.
In the first quarter Adams grabbed a rebound only for back-up Warriors centre Festus Ezeli to land awkwardly on the Kiwi’s back.
Adams went to the locker room nursing his back, but returned, only to be kneed in the groin by Draymond Green as the Warriors’ power forward was rampaging to the basket.
Curry said it was important Bogut and the Warriors other big men were healthy to combat the Thunder.
“We need big bodies to secure the paint, defend at a high level,” Curry said.
“There’s going to be bangs and bruises all series and hopefully we have enough time before Sunday to get freshened up again and get ready for another dog fight.
“That’s what this series is going to be about: who wants to be more physical and get it done?”
The Thunder’s game one hero Russell Westbrook could not repeat the effort, scoring just 16 points, while Kevin Durant led with 29 points.
In the Eastern Conference finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be aiming to go up 2-0 when they play the Toronto Raptors on Thursday in Cleveland.
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